Some of the world's
most endangered forests may soon benefit from better protection, thanks to
discarded treasures from the consumer society - mobile phones.

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A Californian
technology startup, Rainforest Connection (RFCx), has developed a tool - made from recycled smartphones - that
it says will pilot new ways to monitor and stop illegal logging and animal
poaching throughout Africa's equatorial forests.

RFCx has formed a
partnership with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), an international scientific charity that works for the
worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats.

The two
organisations are planning to install the anti-deforestation, anti-poaching
technology in Cameroon this year.

Randy Hayes, the
founder of the Rainforest Action Network, said: "This is the most exciting critical new tool I've
seen that I think can help us get the job done."

RFCx says it has
developed the first real-time detection system for protecting the forests and
deterring illegal logging, using discarded Android smartphones to send instant
alerts to forest rangers, enabling them to intervene swiftly.

It says current
monitoring methods often rely on aerial surveys or satellite surveillance,
which usually detect deforestation days or even weeks after the event.

Topher White,
RFCx's founder, believes the right tools have been developed at just the right
moment to make a difference. He said: "It's clear that real-time
awareness and intervention is a major missing piece in protecting the world's
last remaining rainforests."

"By using old smartphones and
existing telecommunications infrastructure, we have built a system that we
think could scale quickly enough to make a real impact."